Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-21
DAILY HERALD.
MEDICAL SCIENCE.
rho Rapid Progress During fhe
Last Decade.

ton. the following comprehensive re-
marks by prominent New York
nhysician concerning the progress
inside in medical science during the
last ten years, are not untimeiy !:
..Prosress in the science OF midicine
during the last ten years has been,
perhaps, as great as during any pre-
yious half century of its history. For.
merIy medicine was system OF
almost pure empiricism. Its knowl-
edge consisted OF large collection oi
undiyested observations. But in re-
6snt wears much has been done toward
laving scientific foundation for the
stldy of medicine. Most OF this pro-
gress is due to advances in our knowf-
edge of the nature and causes OF dis
eases. Here the study OF micro
organisms aud bacteria in their rela-
tions to disease has done much to ad-
vance medicine. This has placed IN
our hands, the power to absolutely
restrict the spread of epidemic dis
eases. 1t has become now only a
question Of the application OF well,
known principles. And l nay add
that it is especially in the pre- ventlon,
rather than in the cure OF diseases,
that in the future medicine is to find
its highest usefulness.
at is the knowledge Of the relation
Of micro-organisms to disease that has
rendered possible the great advances
made in surgery. There is scarcely
ANYTHING to-day impossible in surgi-
cal science. Some idea OF tins may
be gained from a comparison OF the
results in surgery a few years ago
with those of to-day. Ten years ago
three -fourths of all the eases OF major
amputation were lost from blood
poison. To-day death from this cause
after a surgical operation is almost
unknown, and when it occurs can only
be attributed to almost criminal care
lessness or ignorance. Ia abdominal
surgery greater advances have been
made than in perhaps any other
branch. As regards the removal OF
tunors a writer of few years ago
said: Il regard recovery after such
an operation as almost miracle, ana
to be considered in the light OF an
escape rather than a recovery to De
expected To-day some prominent
English surgeons in series OF cases,
numbering from 1000 to 1000 have
had SO and 81 per cent. OF recov-
cries."
"Recently wonderful success has
attended operations for gunshot
wounds perforating the abdomen,
where many openings have been
made in the intestines. In a number
of instances portions of the intestines
have been removed, or from eight to
twelve openings have been closed
after opening the abdominal cavity,
and complete recovery has ensued."
ain brain surgery, also, much has
been done recently. Assesses OF the
brain have been opened and drained.
The situation of tumors of the brain
has been diagnosticated, portions OF
the skull removed and the tumor cut
out"
Speaking of medical education, the
phvsician said: "In the condition Of
our medical schools and in the gen.
eral standard of medical education
great advances are still to be made.
In the past our medical schools have
been, almost without exception, prac-
tically private institutions, without
endowment, and supported entirely
by the fees received from their
students. This has made the COM
petition for students very great among
the large schools, and has rendered it
almost impossible for any school to
raise its standard for matriculation
and graduation above that OF its
rivals. 1t has absolutely precluded
the possibility OF carrying on i'll the
schools any scientific investigations in
medicine. The essentials for such
work are properly equipped labora-
tories, trained men and an assured
income. All, of these have been
wanting"
"rhe reason that so much good
original work has been done in Ger
many is not that the Germans are
more able investigators than We Amer
leans, but that they have laboratories
supported by the Government, and in
charge Of we'll trained and well paid
men, who are given every inducement
and encouragement to do good work.
In this country all kinds of educa-
fiOnal institutions, excepting medical
schools, and perhaps law schools,
have been abundantly endowed, but
medical colleges have been left to
work out their own future as best they
might. This seems strange since
there are no men who come SO near
to all classes of the people as the ply
sicians. suspect that the cause of it
lies with the physicians themselves.
There is no philanthropic question
that, if properly presented, would a :
peal 80 strongly to the reason of an
intelligent man as this of the endOw-
ment of medical schools. The diff
Guilty is that many medical men are
not loyal to their schools or to their
profession. After graduation their
energies are devoted, not to the ad-
yancement of the science of medicine
or the elevation OF medical education,
bu. to acquiring competency. For
medicine in the abstract they care not
at all. They would be very chary
about giving any information that
would advance scientific medicine, ii
at the same time it would aid any
other medical man to a more profita
BILE practice"
IA few generous gifts to medical
schools have been made. More will
be soon. Twenty-Five years hence
our medical colleges, believe, will
be AS finely endowed as the literary
colleges are to-day. The result will
be to elevate the standard of medical
education, and we shall have a pro-
fession, all of whose practitioners are
broad, freely educated, intelligent
men,"
.tIn medical education, lectures
will be largely replaced by recitations,
laboratory instruction beside practice.
Pathology in this country will attain
the rank it deserves, and which it
now occupies in other countries"
WE WARRANT Gilmore's Magnetic Felix
90 relieve the Asthma in one minute. G.